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BAT to hand German shop HB account

Published on October 05, 1998.

HAMBURG -- B.A.T. is about to name Hamburg-based Menzel, Nolte to handle its flagship cigarette brand in Germany, HB. The incumbent is Block Nagel, Hamburg. B.A.T. would not confirm the move and Michael Menzel said "no comment" when asked about the estimated $20 million account. MediaCom, Duesseldorf, handles the media account.

HB still ranks No. 3 in the German cigarette market, with a 7% share, but the brand has been declining for a number of years. Once Germany's leading cigarette brand, no ad agency has found a strategy to stop its slide. In August 1994 Grey Advertising, Duesseldorf, lost HB, after handling the brand for more then two decades, to Hamburg-based Baader Lang Behnken.